Common's status as a poet is already well established, but the Chicago wordsmith will give poetry fans an extra helping on his new album thanks to a special appearance from literary great Maya Angelou.
In an interview with The Boombox, Common revealed that the famed author will recite an original work on his forthcoming LP The Dreamer, The Believer.
“It's incredible!" he said. "I met Maya Angelou, it was a benefit I was doing for this foundation, it was this poet that was supposed to do it and he didn't do it, so my mother told somebody who worked on my team 'Why don't we see if we can get in touch with Maya Angelou,' and then out of nowhere she [Maya] was like, 'OK, I'll do it.' So she did it and we've been cool ever since."
Common honored the "Why the Caged Bird Sings" writer at his Common Ground Foundation gala earlier this year, and Angelou wrote blurb for Com's recently released autobiography, One Day It'll All Make Sense.
The Dreamer, The Believer is in stores November 22. So far the singles "Ghetto Dreams," featuring Nas, and "Blue Sky" have been released.

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